The Great Month of Rajab

Allah has said concerning the sacred months

إِنَّ عِدَّةَ الشُّهُورِ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ اثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْراً فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ يَوْمَ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ مِنْهَا أَرْبَعَةٌ حُرُمٌ ذَلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ فَلا تَظْلِمُوا فِيهِنَّ أَنْفُسَكُمْ

Which means, “Verily, the number of months with Allaah is twelve months (in a year), so was it ordained by Allaah on the Day when He created the heavens and the earth; of them four are Sacred (i.e. the 1st, the 7th, the 11th and the 12th months of the Islamic calendar). That is the right religion, so wrong not yourselves therein”

[al-Tawbah 9:36]

The sacred months are: Rajab, Dhu’l-Qa’dah, Dhu’l-Hijjah and Muharram.

It is narrated from Abu Bakrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

السَّنَةُ اثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًا , مِنْهَا أَرْبَعَةٌ حُرُمٌ , ثَلاثٌ مُتَوَالِيَاتٌ : ذُو الْقَعْدَةِ وَذُو الْحِجَّةِ وَالْمُحَرَّمُ , وَرَجَبُ مُضَرَ الَّذِي بَيْنَ جُمَادَى وَشَعْبَانَ

“The year is twelve months, of which four are sacred: three consecutive months, Dhu’l-Qa’dah, Dhu’l-Hijjah and Muharram, and Rajab Mudar which comes between Jumaada and Sha’baan. [Al-Bukhaari (4662) and Muslim (1679)]

Today, when most of us are weak in language, we need to distinguish between holy and sacred; in any language (any language) there is a contextual difference. Holy, means venerated and pure. Sacred means it is off limits, or untouchable, and this also has a context; in the context of these sacred months, certain acts cannot be performed in them. The word for sacred in Arabic and forbidden is the same: Haraam (i.e. al-Haramain).

These months are called sacred for two reasons:

1- Because fighting therein is forbidden unless initiated by the enemy

2- Because transgression of the sacred limits therein is worse than at other times.

Hence Allaah has forbidden us to commit sins during these months, as He says (interpretation of the meaning), “wrong not yourselves therein”. [al-Tawbah 9:36]  

Although committing sins is haraam and forbidden during these months and at other times, in these months it is more forbidden.

The scholar of Tafseer, Al-Sa’di (may Allaah have mercy on him) said “In the phrase, “wrong not yourselves therein”, the pronoun may be understood as referring to twelve months. Allaah states that He has made them a measure of time for His slaves, which they may use for worshipping Him, and thank Allaah for His blessings, and they serve the interests of His slaves, so beware of wronging yourselves therein. The pronoun may also be understood as referring to the four sacred months, and this forbids them to wrong themselves in those months in particular, as well as it being forbidden to do wrong at all times, because it is more forbidden at this time, but it is worse at this time than at others.” (Al-Sa’di p. 373),

It is easily understood what is forbidden in Rajab. What then is encouraged to do in Rajab or other Sacred Months? With regard to fasting the month of Rajab, there is no saheeh hadeeth to indicate that there is any special virtue in fasting all or part of this month.

There is a report from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) which indicates that it is mustahabb to fast during the sacred months (and Rajab is one of the sacred months). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Fast some days of the sacred months and not others.” (Narrated by Abu Dawood, 2428; classed as da’eef (weak; not authentic) by al-Albaani in Da’eef Abi Dawood). Even if this hadeeth were saheeh, it indicates that it is mustahabb to fast during all of the sacred months, not Rajab especially. So if a person fasts during Rajab because of this, and he also fasts in the other sacred months, he is applying the sunnah in this hadeeth correctly, and is not blameworthy But singling out Rajab for fasting is not the correct implication, and we as Muslims must seek precision when we able to be precise.

As for fasting in Rajab particularly, the ahaadeeth concerning that are all da’eef (weak), and in fact mawdoo’ (fabricated). The scholars do not rely on any of them. They are not among the da’eef ahaadeeth which have been narrated concerning virtues, rather most of them are fabricated and false. In al-Musnad (Imaam Ahmad) and elsewhere there is a hadeeth which says that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) enjoined fasting the sacred months, namely Rajab, Dhu’l-Qa’dah, Dhu’l-Hijjah and Muharram, but this has to do with fasting during all of them, not just Rajab.” [ Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (25/290)]

Every hadeeth which mentions fasting in Rajab (by itself especially) and praying during some of its nights is false and fabricated.” [Ibn al-Qayyim, al-Manaar al-Muneef, p. 96]

There is no saheeh hadeeth that would count as evidence which speaks of the virtue of the month of Rajab, or that speaks of fasting this month or part of it, or of spending any particular night of it in prayer. [Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said in Tabyeen al-‘Ajab (p. 11)]

Shaykh Sayyid Saabiq (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Fiqh al-Sunnah (1/282), “Fasting in Rajab is no better than fasting in any other month, except that  it is one of the sacred months. There is no report in the saheeh Sunnah to suggest that there is anything special about fasting in this month. Whatever has been narrated concerning that is not fit to be quoted as evidence.”

There is no doubt that the Isra’ and Mi’raaj (the Prophet’s Night Journey and Ascent into heaven) are two great signs of Allaah which point to the truthfulness of the His Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and the greatness of his status before Allaah. They are also signs of the great power of Allaah, and of His exalted position above His creation. Allaah says

سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي أَسْرَى بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلًا مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الأَقْصَى الَّذِي بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ لِنُرِيَهُ مِنْ آيَاتِنَا إِنَّه هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ

(interpretation of the meaning):

“Glorified (and Exalted) be He (Allaah) [above all that (evil) they associate with Him] Who took His slave (Muhammad) for a journey by night from Al‑Masjid Al‑Haraam (at Makkah) to Al‑Masjid Al‑Aqsa (in Jerusalem), the neighbourhood whereof We have blessed, in order that We might show him (Muhammad) of Our Ayaat (proofs, evidences, lessons, signs, etc.). Verily, He is the All‑Hearer, the All‑Seer”

[al-Isra’ 17:1]

There are Mutawaatir (ahadith reported by such a large number of people that they cannot be expected to agree upon a lie; all of them together) reports from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that he was taken up into the heavens, and their gates were opened for him, until he passed beyond the seventh heaven, where his Lord spoke to him as He willed, and enjoined the five daily prayers upon him. At first Allaah, may He be exalted, enjoined fifty prayers, but our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) kept going back and asking Him to reduce it, until He made them five, so they are five obligatory prayers but fifty in reward, because each good deed is rewarded tenfold. To Allaah be praise and thanks for all His blessings.

When did the ascension, Isra’ wal Mi’raaj occur? Did it happen in Rajab? Did it happen in another month? With regard to this night on which the Isra’ and Mi’raaj took place, there is nothing in the saheeh ahaadeeth to indicate that it is in Rajab or in any other month. The only consensus that we have is that it preceded the hijrah to Madinah. We know it happaned, and no Muslim can deny that it happened, and remain a Muslim. The muhaditheen have established from their research that every narration concerning a specific date for these events cannot be proven to have come from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Allaah has chosen from his wisdom to cause the Muslim ummah to forget when it happened. Even if the date were proven, it would not be permissible for the Muslims to single it out for particular acts of worship, and it is not permissible for them to celebrate it, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his companions (may Allaah be pleased with them) did not celebrate it and they did not single it out in any way. There is no difference in opinion that celebrating Isra’ wal Mir’raaj is not Sunnah, and if it is not sunnah it is either Mubah or Bid’a; but celebrations and out of the ordinary acts of worship have legislation around them, and what is outside of that legislation is bida’a. If celebrating it was something that is prescribed in Islam, the Messenger would have told his ummah about that, either in word or in deed. If any such thing had happened, it would have been well known, and his companions would have transmitted the information to us. They narrated from their Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) everything that his ummah needs to know, and they did not neglect any aspect of the religion, rather they were the first ones to do anything good. If celebrating this night had been prescribed in Islam, they would have been the first people to do so. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was the most sincere of people, and he conveyed the message to the people in full, and he fulfilled the trust. If venerating and celebrating this night were part of the religion of Allaah, then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would have done that and would not have concealed it. Since no such thing happened, it is known that celebrating it and venerating it is not part of Islam at all. Allaah has perfected this ummah’s religion for it and has completed His favour upon them, and He condemns those who introduce things into the religion which Allaah has not ordained. Allaah says in His holy Book, in Soorat al-Maa’idah

الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الإِسْلامَ دِينًا

(interpretation of the meaning):

“This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion”

[al-Maa’idah 5:3]

There is no record of the Prophet teaching the companions to do this, and it was not done in their time. If it was good the Prophet would have been the first to do it, but he didn’t rather, people invented lies saying that he enjoined it. Fasting in general is good, but it should be kept general. No man or woman aside from the Prophet or those to whom he delegated by ALLAH’s order can declare that a certain act of worship for a certain benefit, because this can only be done if ALLAH revealed it. The Prophet died, peace be upon him, and left his Sunnah complete.

What to Consider During Photo Sessions

A challenge for Muslims in the west, or in the English speaking world, is the lack of material from credible scholars. Muslim youths during the 1980’s through the early 2000’s were mostly provided books with a bias towards a particular school of thought, or a particular ethnicity’s cultural manifestation of Islam. As such, there was much Fiqh that remained misunderstood. As Muslims of this generation matured intellectually, and authenticated knowledge was conveyed, there were still some gaps of information. One such example is the ruling on photography. During recent decades, those who were teaching in youth circles had limited understanding of the issue, may Allah reward their effort and pardon their short comings. Some directly associated photography with the ruling of al-Tasweer (image making), in which case it was outright forbidden, per the words of our Prophet, peace be upon him.

حديث ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما قال : سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول : ( من صَوَّر صورة في الدنيا كُلِّف أن يَنْفُخ فيها الرُّوح يوم القيامة وليس بنافخ ) رواه البخاري ومسلم ، وحديثه أيضا عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه قال : ( كل مُصَوِّر في النار ، يُجْعَل له بكل صورة صَوَّرها نفساً فَتُعَذِّبه في جهنم ) قال ابن عباس : " فإن كنت لا بد فاعلا فاصنع الشَّجر وما لا نفس له

لقول النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم : ( لا تَدْخُلُ الملائكة بَيْتاً فيه صورة ) رواه البخاري

Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him), said, “I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: ‘Whoever makes an image in this world will be told to breathe the soul into it on the Day of Resurrection, and he will never be able to do that.’” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim). He [Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him)] also narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Every image-maker will be in the Fire, and every image that he made will be made to appear to him and will torment him in Hell.” Somone who was listening to Ibn ‘Abbaas when he narrated this to the people asked what he should do because he was a professional artist. Ibn Abbaas said to him: “If you must do that, then make trees and things that have no soul.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim). The general meaning of the ahaadeeth is that it is absolutely forbidden to make images of anything that has a soul. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “The angels do not enter any house in which there is an image,” (narrated by al-Bukhaari, and Ahmad).

These are short ahadeeth, but there are other longer and more detailed explanations, that do not deviate from the general meaning of what has been referenced here. Readers are advised to read chapters in hadeeth books about this issue for certainty about what is the right thing to do, and success is with ALLAH. For many, this is convincing enough to avoid photography completely, except for what cannot be avoided, and this is undoubtably the safest position, may ALLAH have mercy and accept those who are most keen to be safe.

As for those who do not see the above applying to photographs today, who may or may not have been inspired by the words of Yusuf al-Qardawi, Allah guide him aright and forgive his mistakes, in his book Al Haraam wal Halaal fi al-Islam. In this book (avoiding this book is recommended), al-Qardawi notes that linguistically, Tasweer means any kind of visual art, be it sculpture, painting or photograph (artistic or otherwise). The clearly forbidden kinds are those which were made by the hand, and deliberately attempt to replicate the essence of a person’s appearance, i.e. a statue or a painted portrait. The scholars agree that this type of image making is absolutely forbidden, apart from those images of plant life. The scholars allow toy making and cartoon sketching because they are not intended to be replicas of walking and seeing (with eyes) creatures.

Qardawi and many scholars differentiated photography from the forbidden tasweer because it is not made by hand, rather it is generated by captured light, similar to a mirror. Also according to them the handiwork required in generating a printed picture likened to painting or sculpting, but other scholars or equal or greater caliber view this in contrast; those who did and did not understand the science of the camera still regarded any manual handling to be making an image in the forbidden sense, and the resulted print to be a manifested forbidden image. Those who permit the printed photograph are not in agreement on the extent to its permissibility. Some hold that it is permissible only for administrative necessity, in the form of personal identification, and not for memorabilia (ibn Uthaymeen), and this kind is clearly separated from veneration and idolatry because it is handled casually or roughly (i.e. on the floor). The other groups believe that hard copy photographs are permissible, but like all images, it is totally forbidden to venerate these images, intentionally or unintentionally, by placing them in a permanent display on walls and framed; rather they must be kept in storage, not displayed, and revealed only to view them as needed or wanted, and then returned to their hiding place. Both groups of scholars hold that photographs can repel the Angels from one’s home, but one group holds that keeping stored away will resolve this problem.

Many contemporary students of knowledge recommend to avoid the controversy by either avoiding taking photos for memory and leisure, or by limiting it only to digital photography and video recording. This restriction to unprinted mediums  is based on the fact they these images are not drawn or hand crafted, but they are generated as needed. This applies especially to digital photographs as they are in fact data that is manipulated into the mirror image it captured. Not all scholars are in agreement with this understanding, hence the contrasting recommendation to avoid photography outside of necessity.

The permissibility of digital photos and videos is notably that of Shaykh Muhammad Saalih ibn al-Uthaymeen, may Allah have mercy on him. It is difficult to find this ruling translated in English. The English speaker will usually be informed by an Arabic speaker, or the speaker of another language to which it was translated to. (This could be due to the fact that people who subscribe to the rulings of the shaykh and his contemporaries, do not favor it over the prohibiting ruling, and do not care to share it with their people, but this is mere speculation, and should not be acted upon.)

Shaykh ibn al-Uthaymeen’s opinion (one particular instance) of photography can be summarized:

1. 1.      Those stored in a way that does not have any tangible or visible form, as was mentioned in the case of images, such as video tapes. There is no ruling on these at all and they do not come under the prohibition at all. Hence the scholars who forbid photographs printed on paper regarded them as permissible, and said that there is nothing wrong with them. It was said: Is it permissible to film the lectures that are given in mosques? Their opinion was that this should not be done, because it may disturb those who are praying there, and it does not befit the place, and so on.
2. 2.       Photographs that are printed on paper: if a person wants to make these permissible images, then he is subject to the five rulings according to his intention. If he intends thereby to do something haraam, then it is haraam. If he intends thereby to do something obligatory then it is obligatory. It may be obligatory to make images sometimes, especially moving images. For example, if we see someone committing a crime that is a crime against a person’s rights, such as a murder attempt and the like, and it cannot be proven except by means of a picture, then in that case taking a picture is obligatory, especially in cases where pictures could tell the full story, because the means are subject to the same rulings as the ends. If we use this image-making to prove the identity of a person lest he be accused of a crime committed by someone else, there is nothing wrong with this either, rather it is essential. But if we take a picture in order to enjoy looking at it, this is undoubtedly haraam.

The above summary is paraphrased from a citation from al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 2/197-199. It is not clear in translation, whether the second prohibition on taking pictures for memories is applicable only to hard copy photographs. ALLAH  is the All-KnowingThis; inshaALLAH, this post may be edited after further study of the original statements in Arabic.


The video below features a high-level explanation of three opinions by Dr. Zakir Naik, followed by Shaykh ibn Uthaymeen's answer mentioned above.

The Authentic Connection of Du'aa and the End of Sallah

Having lived in both Muslims and non-Muslim lands, I have seen variation in what people conclude their prayers with. In the west, where we do not have local scholars to rely on as in the Muslims lands, we were required to study more, and be more certain about the scholars say. 

There are several hadeeths which encourage dhikr and du‘aa’ at the end of the prayers. the scholars have interpreted the end of the prayers as ether what follows the conclusion of the Sallah (after the tasleem, Assalamu’Alaykum Wa Rahmatullah), or what is done in the last part of the Sallah.

It is narrated from al-Mugheerah ibn Shu‘bah (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to say at the end of every prayer after saying the salaam: 

لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ ، وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ ، وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ ، اللَّهُمَّ لَا مَانِعَ لِمَا أَعْطَيْتَ ، وَلَا مُعْطِيَ لِمَا مَنَعْتَ ، وَلَا يَنْفَعُ ذَا الْجَدِّ مِنْكَ الْجَدُّ

There is no god but Allaah Alone, with no partner or associate, His is the sovereignty and to Him be praise, and He is Able to do all things. O Allaah, none can withhold what You give and none can give what You withhold, and no wealth or majesty can benefit anyone for from You is all wealth and majesty). (al-Bukhaari 6330 and Muslim 594)

Also narrated by al-Bukhaari (6329) is the narration from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said, “They said: O Messenger of Allah, the wealthy have attained exclusively the high ranks and eternal blessing (in Paradise). He said: How is that? They said: They pray as we pray, and they strive in jihad as we strive, and they spend from the surplus of their wealth, but we have no wealth. He (the Prophet peace be upon him) said: Shall I not tell you of something by means of which you will catch up with those who have gone before you and will go ahead of those who come after you, and no one could achieve what you achieve except one who does what you do. At the end of every prayer, glorify Allah (by saying Subhaan Allah) ten times, and praise Him (by saying al-hamdu Lillah) ten times, and magnify Him (by saying Allahu akbar) ten times.” In another version (al-Bukhaari 843) narrated: “Glorify Allah (by saying Subhaan Allah), praise Him (by saying al-hamdu Lillah), and magnify Him (by saying Allahu akbar) thirty-three times after each prayer.” Muslim(595) narrated: “Glorify Allah (by saying Subhaan Allah), praise Him (by saying al-hamdu Lillah), and magnify Him (by saying Allahu akbar) thirty-three times at the end of each prayer.” 

Al-Imaam Muslim narrated from Ka‘b ibn ‘Ujrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “Dhikrs at the end of the prayer; the one who says them or does them at the end of each obligatory prayer will not be disappointed: thirty-three tasbeehahs, thirty-three tahmeedahs and thirty-four takbeerahs.”(Muslim 596) 

It is understood that “at the end of the prayer” in these ahadeeth is immediately after the prayer (after the tasleem), as is stated clearly in some reports. The same is mentioned in the reports which speak of reciting Aayat al-Kursiy and the Mu‘awwidhaat (the refuge seeking sooras: al-Falaq and An-Naas) at the end of the prayer. What is meant is after the salaam. 

It is narrated from Mu‘aadh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) took him by the hand and said: “O Mu‘aadh, by Allah verily I love you, by Allah verily I love you.” Then he said: “I urge you, O Mu‘aadh, never to stop saying at the end of every prayer: 

 اللَّهُمَّ أَعِنِّي عَلَى ذِكْرِكَ وَشُكْرِكَ وَحُسْنِ عِبَادَتِكَ

O Allah, help me to remember You, give thank to You and worship You properly.”(AbuDawood 1522; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood). The version narrated by An-Nasaa’i is “Do not neglect to say in every prayer, 

Rabbiy a‘inni ‘ala dhikrika wa shukrika wa husni ‘ibaadatika 

 رَبِّ أَعِنِّي عَلَى ذِكْرِكَ وَشُكْرِكَ وَحُسْنِ عِبَادَتِكَ

My Lord, help me to remember You, give thank to You and worship You properly. (an-Nasaa’i 1303; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Nasaa’i)

The end of the prayer in these narrations is worded as dibr as-salaah, which is linguistically is in last part of the prayer before the salaam, because dibr ash-shay’ (lit. the end of a thing) is part of it. This is confirmed by the words in the report of an-Nasaa’i: “in every prayer”. 

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said “ ‘At the end of the prayer’ may be understood as meaning before the salaam or after it. Our shaykh [i.e., Ibn Taymiyah] regarded it as more likely that it is before the salaam. I asked him  about that and he said: Dibr kulli shay’ (the end of everything) is part of it, like the dibr (rear end) of an animal.” (Zaad al-Ma‘aad 1/294)

Imaam at-Tirmidhi narrated that Abu Umaamah (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “It was said: O Messenger of Allah, what du‘aa’ (supplication) is most likely to be heard (and responded to)? He (the prophet) said: “That which is offered in the last part of the night and at the end of the prescribed prayers” (at-Tirmidhi 3499; classed as hasan by at-Tirmidhi and by al-Albaani inSaheeh at-Tirmidhi). What appears to be the case is that what is meant by “at the end of the prayer” here means before the salaam. Shaykh Muhammad Saalih Ibn al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said “What appears to be the case is that what is meant by at the end of the prescribed prayers in the hadeeth of Abu Umaamah – if it is saheeh –is in the last part of the prayer.” (Majmoo‘ Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 13/268) 

It is understood by scholars about that the narrations which mention the end of the prayer, that if it is dhikr (such as saying Subhaan Allah, al-hamdu Lillah, Allahu akbar, or reciting Aayat al-Kursiy and the Mu‘awwidhaat), this means after the prayer; and if it is du‘aa’ (supplication), then what is meant by at the end of the prayer is in the last part of it, i.e., before the salaam and during tashaahud. Based on a hadeeth there is one particular du‘aa’ should be said after the salaam, such as when the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Ask for forgiveness (by saying Astaghfirullah) three times,” this is a du‘aa’, but the Sunnah indicates that it should be said after the salaam. This is not a general du’aa, and unforoutnately, we do not find many Muslm countries restricting the their du’aa after sallah to this du’aa, but this should not be the case.

Shaykh Ibn Baaz was asked: What is meant by “at the end of the prayer” in the ahadeeth which encourage saying du‘aa’ or dhikr at the end of each prayer? Is it the last part of the prayer or after the salaam? 

He replied, “The phrase “the end of the prayer” may be applied to the last part of it before the salaam, or it may be applied to what comes immediately after the salaam. There are saheeh ahadeeth that mention that, most of which indicate that what is meant is the last part of the prayer before the salaam if it has to do with du‘aa’, such as the hadeeth of Ibn Mas‘ood, in which the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) taught him the tashahhud, then he said: “Then let him choose whatever du‘aa’ he likes and say it.” And according to another version he said, “Let him choose after asking whatever he wants.” (saheeh – agreed upon Mutaffaaqun Alayhi). Another example is the hadeeth of Mu‘aadh in which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said to him: “Do not neglect to say at the end of every prayer: Allahumma a‘inni ‘ala dhikrika wa shukrika wa husni ‘ibaadatika (O Allah, help me to remember You, give thank to You and worship You properly).”Narrated by Abu Dawood, at-Tirmidhi and an-Nasaa’i with a saheeh isnaad. Another example is the hadeeth narrated by al-Bukhaari (may Allah have mercy on him) from Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqaas (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to say at the end of every prayer:

اللهم إني أعوذ بك من البخل ، وأعوذ بك من الجبن ، وأعوذ بك من أن أُرد إلى أرذل العمر ، وأعوذ بك من فتنة الدنيا ، ومن عذاب القبر

O Allah, I seek refuge in You from miserliness, and I seek refuge in You from cowardice, and I seek refuge in You from reaching feeble old age, and I seek refuge in You from the trials of this world, and I seek refuge in You from the torment of the grave”. 

“With regard to the adhkaar that have been narrated, the saheeh hadeeths indicate that they are to be recited at the end of the prayer after the salaam.

An example of that is to say after saying the salaam:

 أستغفر الله ، أستغفر الله ، أستغفر الله ، اللهم أنت السلام ومنك السلام تباركت يا ذا الجلال والإكرام.   

I ask Allaah for forgiveness, I ask Allaah for forgiveness, I ask Allaah for forgiveness. O Allaah, You are the One Who is free from all defects and deficiencies and from You is all peace, blessed are You, O Possessor of majesty and honour, whether he was the imam or praying behind the imam or praying on his own. Then after that the imam should turn to face the congregation, and the imam, the one who prayed behind the imam and the one who prayed on his own should say, after that dhikr and prayer for forgiveness: 

لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له ، له الملك وله الحمد وهو على كل شيء قدير ، لا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله . لا إله إلا الله ، ولا نعبد إلا إياه ، له النعمة وله الفضل وله الثناء الحسن . لا إله إلا الله مخلصين له الدين ولو كره الكافرون . اللهم لا مانع لما أعطيت ، ولا معطي لما منعت ، ولا ينفع ذا الجد منك الجد

“There is no god but Allaah Alone, with no partner or associate His is the sovereignty and to Him be praise, and He is Able to do all things. There is no power and no strength except with Allaah, and we worship none but Him”. “From Him (alone) come all blessings and favours, and all good praise is due to Him. There is no god but Allaah and we make our worship purely for Him (alone) however much the disbelievers may hate that. O Allaah, none can withhold what You give and none can give what You withhold, and no wealth or majesty can benefit anyone for from You is all wealth and majesty”.

“It is mustahabb for the Muslim, male or female, to recite this dhikr after each of the five daily prayers, then to glorify Allah (by saying Subhaan Allah), praise Him (by saying al-hamdu Lillah), and magnify Him (by saying Allahu akbar) thirty-three times, then to complete one hundred by saying: Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahu’l-mulk wa lahu’l-hamd wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer (There is no god but Allaah Alone, with no partner or associate His is the sovereignty and to Him be praise, and He is Able to do all things).”

“All of that is proven in hadeeths from the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). After that it is mustahabb to recite Aayat al-Kursiy once, quietly, and to recite Qul Huwa Allahu Ahad (Soorat al-Ikhlaas) and al-Mu‘awwidhatayn once, quietly, except in the case of Maghrib and Fajr, when it is mustahabb to repeat the recitation of the three soorahs mentioned, three times. It is also mustahabb for the Muslim, male or female, to say after praying Maghrib and Fajr: Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahu’l-mulk wa lahu’l-hamd yuhyi wa yumeet wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer (there is no God but Allaah alone, with no partner or associate, His is the Dominion and to Him be praise, He gives life and gives death, and He has power over all things) ten times in addition to what is mentioned above, before reciting Aayat al-Kursiy and before reciting the three soorahs mentioned above, in accordance with the saheeh hadeeths that have been narrated concerning that.” (Majmoo‘ Fataawa Ibn Baaz, 11/194)

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

If one ponders this matter it will become clear that what is connected to the end of the prayer, if it is dhikr it comes after the prayer and if it is du‘aa’ it comes in the last part of the prayer. 

With regard to the former, Allah, may He be exalted, has made the time after the prayer a time for dhikr, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):“When you have finished As-Salat (the prayer - congregational), remember Allah standing, sitting down, and lying down on your sides” [an-Nisa’ 4:103]. And the Sunnah explains what is mentioned in general terms in this verse of dhikr, such as when the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The one who glorifies Allah (by saying Subhaan Allah) at the end of every prayer thirty-three times…” Each text that mentions dhikr at the end of the prayer is to be understood as referring to after the prayer, in accordance with this verse. 

With regard to the latter, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) regarded the time after the final tashahhud as a time for du‘aa’. So every text that mentions du‘aa’ at the end of the prayer is to be understood as referring to the last part of it, so that the du‘aa’ will be at the point where the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) taught us to offer du‘aa’, unless interpreting the text in this manner is impossible or unlikely, according to the context, in which case it is to be understood as indicated by the context. End quote. 

Majmoo‘ Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 13/268 

Raising the hands to make du'aa is indeed sunnah but not after the Salaah; it was not narrated authentically that Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) raised his hands in du'aa after Sallah, but it is prescribed at other times. Du'aa can be made without the hands being raised; the sunnah indicates that the prophet, peace be upon him did indeed raise his hands to make du'aa, but not after the sallah, and certainly not each sallah.

When saying du‘aa’ after the obligatory prayer it is not Sunnah to raise the hands, whether that is done by the imam on his own or the one who prayed behind the imam on his own, or by both of them. Apparently, that is an innovation, because it was not narrated from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) or from his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). As for saying du‘aa’ without doing that (raising the hands), there is nothing wrong with it, because there are some hadeeths that mention that.(Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah 7/103)  I have also seen in America and in Malaysia some congregations reciting Surat Al-Faatihah after Salaah as a group. I would like to know from where this logic came, and also from where the people of Malaysia memorized the supplications that make after every Sallah, because they all seem to know the SAME words, which are not found in the book Husn al-Muslim (a book containing all of the authentically reported supplications and remembrances, with sources cited); in fairness, I do not know the extent of this books completeness.